Radio Script
2000

__________________

Mosquito Myths
__________________

Listen on RealAudio

Don't have RealAudio player? Download free software.

INTRO: Summer is here, and with it comes the annual invasion of thousands of tourists. Sure, they can get under our skin, buzzing around as they do on our highways. But they're nothing like the itching and scratching caused by Alaska's other great invasion: mosquitoes. Arctic Science Journeys Radio producer Doug Schneider spoke to a mosquito expert who debunks some of our most commonly held ideas about these voracious summertime pests—mosquitoes, that is.

STORY: Ah, summer. What would it be without those pesky mosquitoes? A fair bit of Alaska lore is built on the seasonal invasion of this bloodthirsty insect.

Check out any Alaska gift store, and there, next to the moose nugget swizzle sticks and Alaska license plate key chains, you'll find the Alaska mosquito trap. Big enough to put a serious welt on a child's pinky finger, such gag gifts make the mosquito appear bigger than life. Marta Mueller, who works as a pest control expert with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, isn't one to put this myth to rest.

MUELLER: "I was born in Alaska. I grew up with this very elitist view of Alaska. We've got the biggest mosquitoes. We've got the aurora. We've got Mt. McKinley. So, when I think about mosquitoes in Alaska I get really excited because they are big, and they are interesting, and there are a lot of them."

Summer is Mueller's busiest time. In an average day, she'll field a dozen calls from residents and tourists alike. They call to find out how to rid their gardens of unwanted bugs. They call to find out how to get rid of bats in their attic. And a lot of them call, as this reporter did, with questions about mosquitoes.

MUELLER: "I think mosquitoes in Alaska are perceived to be so big because they are numerous and annoying. There's over two dozen species of mosquitoes in Alaska, and that covers four different genera. The different species have different habitats—temporary pools of water, semipermanent pools of water—where they can breed. And there are just a few of those two dozen species that are really considered quite pesky."

Mueller says that not all mosquitoes bite. In fact, only females draw blood.

MUELLER: "No, the males do not bite. They will eat nectar and plant sap. They don't suck blood. Only the females have the mouth parts necessary for drawing a blood meal. The female mosquito takes a blood meal because she's trying to get enough nutrients, enough nitrogen, so she can lay her eggs, to simply reproduce. Otherwise, the females will get nectar and plant sap for their own energy. That nitrogen is simply to produce eggs."

If you do get bit, and trust me, you will, don't panic. Alaska mosquitoes don't carry diseases like mosquitoes elsewhere. To reduce the likelihood of getting bit, Mueller suggests wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants. If live and let live isn't your policy, any of the commercially available repellents ought to do the trick. Apply the repellent on your clothes, not on your skin. And if you have children, use repellents with the least amount of the chemical ingredient DEET.

As much as we might hate them, mosquitoes fill an important niche in nature. They are prey to birds and bats, frogs and fish. And let's not forget those carnivorous dragonflies, which by themselves gobble up thousands of tons of mosquitoes each summer. Those that don't get eaten by dragonflies or slapped senseless by people will live to bite again, says Mueller.

MUELLER: "They will overwinter as adults and they'll be emergent in the spring, ready to get us!"

OUTRO: This is Arctic Science Journeys Radio, a production of the Alaska Sea Grant Program and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I'm Doug Schneider.

For more information about mosquitoes, visit these web pages:

What to do about mosquitoes in your yard

Alaska Cooperative Extension Service

U.S. Environmental Protection Administration's Mosquito Page

Thanks to the following individual for help preparing this script:

Marta Mueller, Integrated Pest Management Technician
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Alaska Cooperative Extension Service
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-8155
PH: 907-474-2428
Email: ftmrm@uaf.edu